China

BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- China will adhere to its dynamic zero-COVID approach as local infections are surging, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission (NHC) said Wednesday.

China is facing a serious challenge in COVID-19 containment as numbers of local cases, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, are rising rapidly, and the virus continues to spread in communities in some areas, NHC spokesperson Mi Feng told a press conference.

BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- China said Wednesday it is firmly opposed to and strongly condemns the proposed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan worth 95 million U.S. dollars, urging the U.S. to withdraw its plan.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks followed Wall Street lower Wednesday after a Federal Reserve official’s comments fueled expectations of more aggressive U.S. rate hikes and the White House announced more sanctions on Russia.

Market benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney retreated.

BEIJING (AP) — The COVID-19 outbreak in China’s largest metropolis of Shanghai remains “extremely grim” amid an ongoing lockdown confining around 26 million people to their homes, a city official said Tuesday.

Director of Shanghai’s working group on epidemic control, Gu Honghui, was quoted by state media as saying that the outbreak in the city was “still running at a high level.”

“The situation is extremely grim,” Gu said.

BEIJING, Apr 4 (APP): Pakistan is the only all-weather strategic cooperative partner of China with the time-honored history and solid foundation of friendship, and just celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic ties.

The two countries are confident enough to maintain and shape the steady development of bilateral ties that have been friendly for generations, regardless of the international and domestic political changes.

BEIJING (AP) — China has sent more than 10,000 health workers from around the country to Shanghai, including 2,000 from the military, as it struggles to stamp out a rapidly spreading outbreak in its largest city under its zero-COVID strategy.

Shanghai was conducting a mass testing of its 25 million residents Monday as what was announced as a two-phase lockdown entered its second week. Most of eastern Shanghai, which was supposed to re-open last Friday, remained locked down along with the western half of the city.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Monday she wouldn’t seek a second term after a rocky five years marked by huge protests calling for her resignation, a security crackdown that has quashed dissent and most recently a COVID-19 wave that overwhelmed the health system.

Her successor will be picked in May and the city’s security chief during the 2019 protests is among the possible choices.

HONG KONG, April 3 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 hit 51 km ENE of La Paz, the Philippines at 10:24:56 GMT on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 28.72 km, was initially determined to be at 9.2256 degrees north latitude and 126.6692 degrees east longitude.

BEIJING (AP) — COVID-19 cases in China’s largest city of Shanghai are still rising as millions remain isolated at home under a sweeping lockdown.

Health officials on Sunday reported 438 confirmed cases detected over the previous 24 hours, along with 7,788 asymptomatic cases. Both figures were up slightly from the day before.

While small by the standards of some countries, the daily case numbers are some of the largest since the virus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019.

BEIJING, April 2 (APP): As close neighbors of Afghanistan and important forces in maintaining world peace and international order, China and Pakistan have always been playing key roles in the Afghan issue and providing substantive assistance to the Afghan people within their capabilities.

These views were expressed by Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor of Southwest University of Political Science and Law and Senior Fellow of the Charhar Institute in a statement on Saturday.